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Why Malema can’t sue Maile for insulting him

In 2009, former ANCYL President and now Economic Freedom Fighter Chief Convenor, Julius Malema, accused Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille, as a “racist and [that she] will remain a racist”. Two years later, he “unreservedly apologise(d)” and “unequivocally retract(ed) their (his and Floyd Shivambu’s) statements” at Zille last following her R1.4m against the two at Western Cape High Court. Fast-forward to 2013, Malema is said to be going to file a lawsuit against ANCYL Gauteng chairperson, Leboganag Maile, for referring to him as a “drunkard and a womaniser” early this week.

The former ANCYL President wants Maile to retract his comments or face the lawsuit. According to a Mail & Guardian Onlinereport this week, Malema denied Maile’s comments, saying: “I am not a womaniser; I am a 32-year-old man with one child. I do not have a girlfriend”. He said Maile was instead “33-years old or more with no less than six children” and that he is actually “expecting twins as we speak.”

Late year, September 2013, Malema reportedly called ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu an “intoxicated-inspired” spokesperson. This after the latter asked for the former: “Can you imagine Julius Malema becoming president of the country? Oh, dear God, may that day never dawn in our lifetime, or that of our children”.

“The drunkard [Mthembu] went to the extent of calling President Julius Malema a ‘menace and a monster’ in a very childish and intoxicated-inspired fashion,” said the EFF in a statement released at the time in its defence of Malema against Mthembu. It went on to accuse Mthembu as a “drunkard [who] was weakly trying to deny the reality that Mr Jacob Zuma is behind attempts of the state to arrest and detain president Julius Malema as a way of suppressing political dissent”.

Back in 2011 following Malema’s comments also directed at Zille – that she is a “cockroach” – I indicated that it was actually the ruling ANC that had groomed Malema to insults elder. This because at the time when he referred to Zille as a “cockroach” – ANC President Jacob Zuma immediately took to the podium and he never called the militant young man to order. I further said this of his “cockroach” comments at Zille: “Therefore it should not have come as a surprise to me that Zuma never said a word to Malema about his comments because maybe that is exactly what he is being taught at the party’s Political School, if he really is going there and that he has not defied the party’s executive decision that he should attend the school where he is (regrettably) groomed to insult elders and everyone else who differs with his views/opinions and every member of the opposition.”

So, it is probable that Maile learned from the best – from Malema – as his former ANCYL leader before he was sacked. Therefore this lawsuit looks quite silly for me and if I went Malema’s friend, I would advise him to drop this shit lawsuit and rather swallow his own insult medicine from his former comrades because it is he who groomed them (Maile et al).